THE POLICE have urged the public to keep away from dangerous fireworks and appealed to parents to behave in a responsible manner to ensure their own and their children’s safety in the run-up to Easter.
“We have begun an educational campaign lasting until mid-April in an effort to avoid accidents seen in previous years during the Easter holidays,� an announcement said.
“Officers, in cooperation with local authorities, churches and schools, will be speaking to young people, with patrols increased in areas where there have been problems in the past. We are asking for the public’s understanding and for them to work with us as our goal is to protect citizens.�
Many types of fireworks are illegal and are usually purchased from the north, as they are difficult to import into the free areas.
President of the Consumers Association, Petros Marcou, urged people to abstain from using fireworks. “Every year we see the same problems,� he said. “Too many people are getting injured and they should have learnt their lesson by now.
“Not only are people breaking the law, but they are putting themselves in serious danger by continuing to use these devices.�
Last year, several teenagers were arrested for possession of illegal fireworks, while a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured by a firecracker which exploded in his mouth. He was playing in his garden when he discovered the explosive on the ground. He put it in his mouth and it exploded.
In another incident, a 13-year-old from Larnaca lost three fingers when a firecracker exploded in his hands.
According to the latest statistics from the Easter period last year, police were aware of a total of 57 cases where people were either in possession of or injured by pyrotechnics. There were ten injuries, three of them serious, with the force confiscating a total of 15,000 fireworks, ten thousand more than in 2005
Despite repeated vows to clamp down on the wanton use of firecrackers, authorities have yet to find a way of limiting the dangerous practice.
“We have begun an educational campaign lasting until mid-April in an effort to avoid accidents seen in previous years during the Easter holidays,� an announcement said.
“Officers, in cooperation with local authorities, churches and schools, will be speaking to young people, with patrols increased in areas where there have been problems in the past. We are asking for the public’s understanding and for them to work with us as our goal is to protect citizens.�
Many types of fireworks are illegal and are usually purchased from the north, as they are difficult to import into the free areas.
President of the Consumers Association, Petros Marcou, urged people to abstain from using fireworks. “Every year we see the same problems,� he said. “Too many people are getting injured and they should have learnt their lesson by now.
“Not only are people breaking the law, but they are putting themselves in serious danger by continuing to use these devices.�
Last year, several teenagers were arrested for possession of illegal fireworks, while a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured by a firecracker which exploded in his mouth. He was playing in his garden when he discovered the explosive on the ground. He put it in his mouth and it exploded.
In another incident, a 13-year-old from Larnaca lost three fingers when a firecracker exploded in his hands.
According to the latest statistics from the Easter period last year, police were aware of a total of 57 cases where people were either in possession of or injured by pyrotechnics. There were ten injuries, three of them serious, with the force confiscating a total of 15,000 fireworks, ten thousand more than in 2005
Despite repeated vows to clamp down on the wanton use of firecrackers, authorities have yet to find a way of limiting the dangerous practice.
